The State Police investigation of Warren Mayor James Fouts' profanity-laced phone calls to an appointee might be completed this week, a police spokesman said.

Law enforcers began an investigation last week looking into whether Fouts might have broken a law that prohibits the malicious use of a telecommunications device.

"The detectives were hoping to complete the investigation by the end of this week and if they believe charges are possible will submit it to the prosecutor's office at that time," Lt. Michael Shaw said.

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In two phone conversations recorded by the appointee, Fouts blasted two former city employees while complaining about his Wikipedia profile and litigation.

Watch a report on the Warren mayor under investigation during today's News at Noon.

In a copy of the recording obtained by The Macomb Daily, the mayor says of one of the ex-workers: "If I had a baseball bat, I'd beat the f---- down to the f---- ground. I mean, it would take me just a little bit to get a f---- gun and blow his f---- head off. That's how p---- off I am."

During the first taped call, Fouts complained about an online public forum about Warren, the City Council's involvement in a money transfer and his political headaches.

In a follow-up recorded conversation involving the mayor and the same individual, he angrily expressed frustration about repeated changes to his Wikipedia profile that he claims reflected negatively about him.

Fouts is heard on the recording saying that he hired "a professional" to monitor his Wikipedia page and "clean it up" when necessary. He said a member of his staff phoned him to report that potentially unflattering information surfaced later.

The mayor suspected his profile on Wikipedia was sabotaged by a political enemy.

Fouts told the appointee by phone that both former employees will be on his political hit list by way of a trust fund that he created to attack his enemies and help friendly candidates for office -- after his death. The fund has more than $100,000 for "reaching out from the grave," the mayor told the official on the phone.

"Well one of these days I'm just going to flip out, and I'm going to go over there and I'm going to take a 2-by-4 and beat the hell out of them. I may end up in jail. But I'm getting angrier and angrier," he said.

The mayor summed up the latter, 7-minute conversation saying he will contact the Michigan Attorney General to file a complaint.

Fouts did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday.

Michigan law prohibits the malicious use of a telecommunications device to threaten, terrorize, frighten, intimidate, harass, molest or annoy another person.

Violators can be found guilty of a misdemeanor and sentenced to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000.

Last week, the second-term mayor insisted he broke no laws. He claimed he was eager to talk with detectives and would have a representative contact State Police to arrange an interview.

At the time, he insisted he didn't know the nature of the allegations against him, yet revealed that he recently had "private" phone conversations with one of his appointees that he suspects were recorded and turned over to police.

Fouts said the confidentiality a mayor should be able to have with an administrator was breached by the appointee.

"As we are the ones that usually reach out to those folks we want to interview, I do not know if the mayor or his staff contacted the detective and we really wouldn't expect him to," the police spokesman said.

State police said last week that the investigation of Fouts does not appear linked to a federal grand jury probe that began last year into city government including contracts and Deputy Public Service Director Gus Ghanam, who oversees the city's trash pickup and disposal and recycling operations.

Warren voters elected Fouts to the Warren City Council in 1981. He served continuously as the self-proclaimed "neighborhood councilman" until 2007, when he won his first mayoral race, against former city clerk Richard Sulaka, in a heated contest.

In a landslide victory over former councilwoman Kathy Vogt in 2011, Fouts captured 81 percent of the vote.